Stop Crying Your Heart Out
by mayfaire
Summary: Sequel to ‘Take a Picture.’ A brother tries to cope with another brother’s grief. Slight ItaSasu. Oneshot.


Stop Crying Your Heart Out

Summary: Sequel to 'Take a Picture.' A brother tries to cope with another brother's grief. Slight ItaSasu. One-shot.

Disclaimer: I strongly believe that Sasuke is meant for Itachi, not for Naruto. Pfft. No, Naruto is not mine.

A/N: Here's the sequel to 'Take a Picture.' But this may disappoint you, anyway, on to the garbage. Btw, the title is from Oasis.

* * *

As Uchiha Itachi stood in front of his once called home, he glanced to his left thinking that a person just came here before him. He thought he knew the scent which still softly lingered in the air but he took no notice of it.

Years ago, upon arriving in front of their door, Itachi would ritually open the sliding door, step into the foyer, gently remove his sandals and utter a familiar yet cold 'tadaima.'

And Uchiha Itachi paused for a moment upon doing that long dead ritual. He turned halfway around as he surveyed his work. Same as always: perfect. The sliding door closed properly, his sandals placed in the right corner of the foyer always unobtrusive and his recently uttered 'tadaima.' For how many years have he stopped using that word? If Kisame saw him, the blue-skinned man would've made fun of him already. Not that Itachi disagreed to such notion.

He unhurriedly retraced his steps back into his old abode. Turning left, he was welcomed by a beautiful garden that was lovingly and devotedly tended by his mother. He stopped as he viewed his surrounding indifferently and he knew what was next to come.

Nii-san! A familiar and childish voice will burst from behind trying to surprise him (which never really worked). Itachi turned around, his right arm extending as he prepared his two fingers to poke a familiar wide forehead (in his opinion). He was greeted by his little brother, a naughty smirk plastered on his face as leapt towards him. The older Uchiha blinked and Sasuke's form together with his jolly greeting slowly vanished in front of him. He glanced at the garden and saw its debilitated state—cracked walls, barren soil with foreign shrubs growing here and there.

Itachi resumed his walk, his black and heavy Akatsuki coat rustling brusquely as he moved. He reached the bedrooms—there was his otouto's bedroom, next to it was his own and the third and the largest were his parents'.

Itachi opened the door to his room and was welcomed by nothing. No bed, drawers, desk, chair. Nothing. Not even a trace of dust could be found, Itachi realized as he walked inside his old room. He did not bother to open the window for fear of contaminating the miraculously clean room.

Now thinking about it, the whole house seemed to be still alive—breathing, long after its inhabitants perished/vanished. The rooms were clean and showed no signs of dilapidation. The corridors were shining—its luster never fading—just the way his father would want it to be. Only the surrounding ground seemed to go with time's flow. Everything except the old Uchiha mansion. Itachi thought he just committed the massacre yesterday.

He faced the eastern part of his room (for he faced the windows). There next to the thin wall was his parents' master bedroom. Then he turned clockwise to face the opposite side, almost visualizing the headboard of his simple bed he grew to love before. This, behind this wall was his otouto's bedroom. Sasuke's bed was placed directly behind Itachi's bed. His brother would usually joke that their beds' headboards would get lumps if ever the wall would disappear.

For a moment, Uchiha Itachi closed his eyes. And then before him, he could vividly see his old room. Where the desk was, the lamp at its proper place, his cabinet and small drawers he was fond of. Instinct made him open his eyes as he heard the floor squeaked. The sound came from outside of his bedroom.

As silence enveloped the place, he could lucidly hear the soft continuous footsteps echoing loudly in his trained ears. Minute steps came from the western part outside his room, passing his own bedroom and slipped on to the eastern part—his parents' bedroom. A rustle of wood rasping against wood. Several steps. A closed door.

It was Sasuke. Itachi opened his door and eyed the empty corridor to his left. Passing a moment of consideration, the older Uchiha carefully opened the door of the master's bedroom.

There on the floor, lay his little brother curled to a ball, his small back turned against Itachi. Studying their parents' once master bedroom, it was as empty as any of the house's rooms. The room was empty with the exception of the subtle marks on the floor indicating the different furniture's location years ago.

Approaching the prone figure, Itachi kneeled beside him and placed a pale and slender hand on Sasuke's upper arm. A slight shock vibrated through Itachi's fingers. Sasuke was conscious and he was trembling, just like always whenever Itachi would find him like this.

Comfort. It was what his little brother sought for as a child and even as a teenager. As gently as he could, Itachi lay down beside his curled-up otouto, spooning the younger Uchiha from behind. He draped an arm across his brother as his other arm he kept as a makeshift pillow. Just like the old times, he thought.

Shh its okay, Sasuke, Itachi murmured as he placed his lips softly on Sasuke's little ear. Just like what Sasuke would always want (and be proud of), Itachi pressed his face against his brother's soft hair. Same softness, same color, same scent. Sasuke was Itachi's little replica—his little twin brother.

Nii-san, Sasuke uttered, did father hurt you again? No, Itachi answered silently, a little confused. He felt his otouto move under his arm. Sasuke turned around to face him.

I heard you and father fighting again… last night, Sasuke said, fear evident in his tone. I also heard mother crying—I heard her say to stop… what was that? Itachi looked at his brother's curious big sable eyes. Father and I just had a little argument, that's all.

But I can hear you almost every night, Sasuke stopped. Sasuke, these things are between father and me. Itachi finished the sentence with the tone of cutting the conversation short. Sasuke got the silent message.

Nii-san, Sasuke again pressed. I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want Father to hurt you again. Sasuke touched Itachi's cheek and Itachi surprisingly felt a numbing pain there. Was his cheek already sore?

Sasuke, facing Itachi sideways, cupped his older brother's face and placed a long kiss on Itachi's smooth forehead. Sasuke tried to cradle his brother's larger head onto his shoulder but found it difficult. But he said anyway: I'll protect you because you are important to me.

And Father? Itachi asked. Is Father not important to you? He is, Sasuke replied. But you, you're the only one who makes me feel special… even if I'm not.

Uchiha Itachi blinked and stopped midway from lying down across the floor. He was kneeling, a hand placed on the cold floor as his bended body paused for a descent.

Otouto… Itachi said aloud to silence—his only witness—as he didn't hesitate to completely lie down on the floor. Curling up on his right side, he extended his left arm across and closed his eyes. You are….

END

A/N: My fic's a little weird, I know. Itachi is partially hallucinating, that's my point. Sasuke isn't really there. The younger Uchiha just left (after what happened in 'Take a Picture') that's why Itachi smelled Sasuke's scent. The 2 fics happened in one day. I made Itachi into somewhat a battered son. The last line is completed with the word 'special.' Thank you for reading, please review? Thank you again and good day.


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